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District 57 begins schematic design for new Lincoln Middle School; Westbrook work to follow
Summary
District staff updated the board on phase‑one schematic design for the Lincoln Middle School project funded by the recently passed referendum; focus groups, tours and community outreach are underway and Westbrook engagement will start next week.
District 57 staff told the board they are in schematic design phase one for the new Lincoln Middle School and that the district will begin a parallel process for Westbrook next week.
Jason (district project lead) said he and the architectural team have completed staff, parent, student and community surveys and held focus groups with teachers and program groups. “We’re doing a lot of different things that we’re in phase 1 schematic design,” he said, summarizing recent work with a steering committee that includes representatives of fine arts, PE and other programs.
The district conducted building tours of other middle schools to collect design ideas and lessons learned; staff said the visits yielded feedback about what not to do as well as preferred solutions. Staff also said they met with local fire and police representatives to surface code and safety inputs early in the design process.
Next steps: a district steering committee will meet regularly with the architects to convert focus‑group input into schematic drawings and return an early visual for board review. Jason said staff will begin a similar engagement process with Westbrook staff and students next week; that process will include student focus groups, staff meetings and community outreach. District leaders also said they are collecting neighbor contact information and plan open houses and direct updates to adjacent residents as the design work progresses.
No board action was required; the item was presented for information and to document that community and safety stakeholders are being involved early in the project.
